Truss



June S, i936. C, E. CHRlSTMAN 2,044,28@

' TRUss Filed Oct. 2, 1933 ZEW aio Wrox/Vey Patented June 16, 1936 NH'ED STATES FATEN'E @ENCE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to trusses and particularly trusses of the type used for relief and cure of ruptures.

'Ihe primary object of the invention is to provide a truss which is adapted to exert an oblique pressure on a rupture opening so as to force rmly together the tissues of the rupture, without binding the body of the person wearing the truss.

Another object of. the invention is to provide a truss the belt of which is light and flexible, and loosely fitting around the body of the wearer of the truss, and in which the truss is not supported on the body by the binding of the belt, but by an oblique, diagonal pressure line between the area of pressure of the pad or pads in the front, and a back engagement member in the rear, so that the truss is practically pivoted on the pad or pads in the front and the extreme point of a back engaging extension.

A further object of the invention is to provide a truss with a resiliently expansible connection between an offset back-engaging member and the belt to allow the expansion and yielding of the belt without disturbing the substantially opposed points of engagement or pressure areas of the truss.

A still further object of the invention is to pro'- vide a very light and small truss, which is easy to wear, does not chafe, does not cause excess perspiration and interferes very little with the wearing of clothes, and which may be tted on ruptures above the belt line as well as on ruptures below the belt line by merely adjusting the truss in inverted position.

In this specification and the annexed drawing the invention is illustrated in the forms, which are at present preferred, since the same have been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such form, because it may be embodied in other forms; and it is also to be understood that in and by the claims following the description, it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective View of a truss constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is side view of the truss.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a truss constructed in accordance with my invention adapted to be used on double hernia rupture, and

(Cl. 12S-104) Figure 4 is a perspective view of a truss with a modied back engagement structure.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a belt 5, which is preferably made of a stainless spring wire bent into two opposed complemental bows 6 and 'l substantially in the same plane tol form a circular shape adapted to encircle the body of. the person wearing the truss. The ends of the bows 5 and 'l are slightly bent inwardly of the belt. At the front portion of the truss the free end of the bow 6 is bent downwardly to provide a vertical pivot 8. The front end of the other bow l is formed into a hook 9 for engaging said vertical pivot 8 near the base of the latter.

The natural resiliency of the spring wire bows 6 and l holds the hook 9 engaged with the pivot 8.

On the pivot bar 8 is supported a pad carrier plate Il by means of perforated ears l2 which rotatably and slidably engage the pivot 8. A stop head i3 is formed on the lower end of the pivot 8 to prevent the ears l2 from sliding ofi the pivot 8. A pad lll, preferably made of vulcanized rubber, or other suitable material is xed on the carrier plate l l. The plate I l and the pad M are so arranged that the pad I4 faces inwardly toward the body of the person wearing the truss to provide a pressure area fitting on the rupture. Thus a distributed pressure area forms the point of engagement of the truss with the body at the front, at a point spaced below the level of the belt 5 and is adjustable around a vertical axis.

The other ends of the bows 6 and 'l at the back of the body are connected to each other by a V shaped bent extension l@ formed integrally of the wire belt 5. The legs ll of the extension IS converge downwardly and inwardly to an apex I8 at a point below the line of the pad lli. The base of the V shaped extension I6 forms a resiliently expansible gap I9 in the circumference of the belt 5.

The bows 6 and 'l do not engage or bind the body but they are fitted loosely. Thus the belt 5 in effect is pivoted around two diametrically and diagonally opposed points namely the pad lll in the front and the apex I8 of the extension l5 at the back. Due to the resiliency of the belt 5 and to the location of the apex 8 below the line of the pad Hl an oblique pressure is exerted by the pad Ml inwardly and downwardly on the rupture. By properly bending and adjusting the extension i6 and the front ends of the bows 6 and 8 the pressure on the pad Ul can be so directed as to force the tissues of the rupture firmly together, thereby improving the relief and healing effect of the truss.

The modied form of my truss shown in Figure 3 is designed for double hernia rupture. This truss is constructed of complemental wire bows 2| and 22 connected at the rear by an expansible extension 23 similarly to the first described structure. But at the front ends of the bows 2| and 22 are vertical pivot bars 24 and 26 respectively constructed similarly to the pivot 8. On each pivot bar 24 and 26 is pivotally supported a pad carrier plate 21 each of which carries a pad 28. A link 29 hooked at both .ends is detachably engaged with the bars 24 and 26 to connect the same. In this construction the truss is pvoted on the points of engagement of the pads 28 in the front and by the apex of the extension 23 at the rear. The pressure is adjustable obliquely by the bending of the extension 23 and by bending the front ends of the bows 2| and 22. This in addition to the adjustability of the pads 28 around the vertical pivots 24 and 26 allows accurate tting for the most beneficial pressure on the ruptures.

The modified form of the truss shown in Figure 4 is the same as the truss described in connection with Figure 1 except that the back extension 3| is formed substantially in an Nl shape, with the central bend 32 extended beyond the other legs to provide an apex 32 below the line of the pad I4. In other words the legs 33 of the extension are extended at their base above the level of the belt 5' and rebent downwardly to continue in the respective bows 6 and 7| providing for more exibility, which is especially desirable for ruptures in the vicinity of the navel.

All the aforedescribed trusses may be inverted so that the pads and the extensions heretofore described extend upwardly from the respective belts, and thus the pads and trusses may be fitted to cover ruptures above the belt line. Very close adjustments can be made by spreading or compressing the gap I9 at the base of any one of the extensions heretofore described. After adjustment, and while the truss is worn the resiliently flexible extensions will yield to overstrains and, being in the back will not interfere with the position of the pad or pads in the front and will not cause the pad or pads to slip out of position. The large degree of resiliency of the whole belt and its pivoted self adjustable, loose t results in a constant, even pressure at the points of engagement thus keeping the tissues and muscles in their pro-per state at all times. The trusses constructed in accordance with my invention can be Y made of light and small wire which renders them easy to wear with the wearing of clothes, and do not chafe or cause excessive perspiration or rubbing, therefore are readily adapted to give effective relief and speedy healing without any inq convenience or discomfort to the wearer.

Having thus described my invention what IA claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a truss a resilient member adapted to encircle the body, the rear portion of the said resilient member being downwardly bent to form a V-shaped section, the front portion of the resilient member being provided with a vertically depending rod, a pad rotatably and slidably mounted on said rod, the lowermost portion of the said V-shaped section being adapted to engage the body at a point offset downwardly relatively to the resilient member and the said pad to cause a downward and oblique pressure on the said pad, and the resilient member being so bent that the said pad and the said V-shaped section are the only parts of the truss adapted to exert pressure on the body of the wearer.

CHARLES E. CHRISTMAN. 

